Building construction and expansion joint therefor



R. c. CLARK 3,015,194

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND EXPANSION JOINT THEREFOR Jan. 2, 1962 Filed June 6, 1955 I 1 4 w i f am m a a m J 3,015,194 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND EXPANSION JOINT THEREFOR Raymond C. Clark, Atherton, Calif., asslgnor to Penn Metal Company, Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 6, 1955, Ser. No. 513,466 9 Claims. (Cl. 50-346) This invention relates to building constructions and expansion joints therefor particularly adapted for use in walls, ceilings or the like.

One problem in surfacing ceilings and walls with plastic coating materials such as stucco and plasters such as magnesium plaster, common plaster and asbestos plaster of the type usually supported by foraminous lathing is the subsequent cracking and faulting of the surfacing material due to the stresses and strains of expansion and contraction caused by initial drying, by subsequent variations in temperature and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere and also by structural movement or settling of the building.

This invention overcomes this problem by providing a novel building construction which allows for expansion and contraction of the plastic coating material after it has been applied to the lathing and thereby prevents cracking of walls and ceilings. It provides narrow gaps at desired intervals across the face of the finished coating of plastic coating material which extend through the entire thickness of the coating material on the lathing so that the coating material is installed, not in a continuous expanse or sheet, but in interrupted sections, which may expand and contract independently to an extent at least adequately to prevent cracking of the coating. The invention has additional advantages as well, among which is the provision of stops against which to abut the sides of the sections of the coating material. This latter feature is of particular advantage when the coating of an entire wall or ceiling cannot be completed by the end of the work day.

Other advantages and novel features will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small section of lathing assembled with an expansion joint embodying this invention in the form of a ceiling construction viewed from below prior to the application of coating material;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section of the ceiling construction of FIG. 1 but showing the coating material in place; and

FIG. 3 is a section similar to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the expansion joint.

The ceiling construction of FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a pair of sections 1 and 2 of expanded metal which are integral with the downwardly extending expansion element generally indicated at 4. This structure is formed from a strip of sheet material such as galvanized steel by passing the sections 1 and 2 through a machine for expanding the portions of the sheet from which they are formed and the strip 5 between the sections 1 and 2 is left unperforated.

The joint structure has a convenient width between its outer edges 6 and 7, for example of the order of from four to six inches, and it may be of any desired length.

The strip 5 extends between outer edges 8 and 9 which are the inner edges of the expanded sections 1 and 2 and has an original ,w idth which is sufficient to provide for its final pleatediorm... the center line of this strip 5 it is bent to form thsresilient fold 10, forming a pair of inner pleat elements 12 and 13 which diverge downwardly from the fold 10, the angle between them nitcd States Patent 0 being an acute angle. The strip 5 is also bent again at each side of the fold 10 to form the resilient folds 15 and 16 which are substantially parallel to and equidistant from the fold 10. This forms the pair of outer pleat elements 20 and 21 which adjoin the inner pleats 12 and 13 respectively. The outer pleat elements 20 and 21 are again bent outwardly at the folds 23 and 24 respectively to form the pair of flange elements 26 and 27 which adjoin the expanded metal sections 1 and 2 along their edges 8 and 9.

The expansion joint 4 is secured to the panel of foraminous lathing 30 by placing the sections 1 and 2 against the lathing 30 and securing them thereto by any convenient means such as the tie wires 32 thereby to establish a pattern of expansion joints for the coating material. The lathing 30 is secured to the biulding structure by any customary means, lengths of the expansion joints 4 may be arranged parallel to each other from one side to the opposite side of the ceiling and the rectangular areas thus formed between them are divided into square or smaller rectangular areas by securing shorter lengths of joints between them at right angles to them, thus providing convenient panels for plastering.

The perforated sections 1 and 2 thus provide means for securing the joint structure to the lathing as well as foraminous areas to receive and hold plastic coating material.

The plaster 3 or other plastic coating material may then be applied to the latching and the expansion joint with its exposed surface 33 finished in a plane which is substantially tangent to the folds 15 and 16 of the expansion joint structure. The plaster is thus applied in sections 3a and 3b in which the edges of the sections abut and stop against the outer pleat elements 20 and 21 of the expansion joint and a gap is provided between the sections of the plaster equivalent to the distance between the outer pleats 20 and 21.

Thus the sections of plaster 3a and 3b are free to expand or contract in the directions of the arrows 40 and 41. that is, toward and away from the gap, which movement is permitted and facilitated by the inner pleat elements 12 and 13 and the resilient fold lines 10, 15 and 16.

The expansion joint of FIG. 3 is the same as that of FIGS. 1 and 2 except that the fold 10a extends substantially to the plane of the flanges 26a and 27a.

Expansion joints, the outer pleat elements of which have heights of -78" and /8", have all been found to be satisfactory in use to form the grounds for the plaster.

While the invention has been illustrated in the form of a ceiling construction, it is obvious that it is also adaptable for use in outside and inside walls.

It will be understood that the invention may be used for the support of any coating material which may be applied to lathing.

It will be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a wall construction, an expansion joint located between and separating a pair of planar sections of plaster mounted on a lathing, said joint comprising an elongated integral strip of resilient sheet material, said strip comprising a pair of spaced, substantially flat inner pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, said inner pleat elements being joined at their first end portions by a first fold along the length of said strip, a pair of outer pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, said outer pleat elements being spaced outwardly from said inner pleat elements and joined at their said opposite end portions to the said opposite end portions of said inner pleat elements to define a pair of second folds along the length of said strip, said second folds each being spaced substantially equi-distantly from said first fold and a flange extending outwardly from said first end portions of each of said outer pleat elements and defining with said outer pleat element a bend extending along the length of said strip, said second folds each being substantially equi-distant from a plane which extends through the first fold and is perpendicular to the plane through said first end portions of said outer pleat elements, said bends each being substantially equi-distant from said perpendicular plane, the edges of said sections of plaster engaging the outer surfaces of said outer pleat elements and means attaching said flanges to said lathing to provide movement of each flange with its respective plaster section in the direction of the plane of said plaster sections in response to expansion and contraction of said sections in said last mentioned direction, the portions of said lathing to which said flanges are attached being movable in said last mentioned direction relative to each other in response to said expansion and contraction.

2. In a wall construction, an expansion joint located between and separating a pair of planar sections of plaster mounted on a lathing, said joint comprising an elongated integral strip of resilient sheet material, said strip comprising a pair of spaced, substantially fiat inner pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, an intermediate portion of said strip joining said first end portions along the length of said strip, a pair of outer pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, said outer pleat elements being spaced outwardly from said inner pleat elements and joined at their said opposite end portions to the said opposite end portions of said inner pleat elements to define a pair of folds along the length of said strip, said intermediate portion being substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal center linethereof, said folds each being spaced substantially equidistantly from the longitudinal center line of said intermediate portion joining said first end portions of the inner pleat elements and a flange extending outwardly from said first end portion of each of said outer pleat elements and defining with said outer pleat element a bend extending along the length of said strip, said folds each being substantially equi-distant from a plane which extends through the longitudinal center line of said intermediate portion joining said first end portions of said inner pleat elements and is perpendicular to the plane through said first end portions of said outer pleat elements, said bends each being substantially equi-distant from said perpendicular plane, the edges of said sections of plaster engaging the outer surfaces of said outer pleat elements and means attaching said flanges to said lathing to provide movement of each flange with its respective plaster section in the direction of the plane of said plaster sections in response to expansion and contraction of said sections in said last mentioned direction, the portions of said lathing to which said flanges are attached being movable in said last mentioned direction relative to each other in response to said expansion and contraction.

3. In a wall construction, an expansion joint located between and separating a pair of planar sections of plaster mounted on a lathing, said joint comprising an elon gated integral strip of resilient sheet material, said strip comprising a pair of spaced, substantially flat inner pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, an intermediate portion of said strip joining said first end portions along the length of said strip, a pair of outer pleat elements having first end portions closer to the plane of said lathing and opposite end portions further away from the plane of said lathing, said outer pleat elements being spaced outwardly from said inner pleat elements and joined at their said opposite end portions to the said opposite end portions of said inner pleat elements to define a pair of folds along the length of said strip, said intermediate portion being substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal center line thereof, said folds each being spaced substantially equidistantly from the longitudinal center line of said intermediate portion joining said first end portions of the inner pleat elements and a flange extending outwardly from said first end portion of each of said outer pleat elements and defining with said outer pleat element a bend extending along the length of said strip, said folds each being substantially equi-distant from a plane which extends through the longitudinal center line of said intermediate portion joining said first end portions of said inner pleat elements and is perpendicular to the plane through said first end portions of said outer pleat elements, said bends each being substantially equi-distant' from said perpendicular plane, said lathing extending across the opening between said first end portions of said outer pleat elements and at least a substantial part of the portion of said lathing which extends across said opening being substantially free from plaster, the edges of said sections of plaster engaging the outer surfaces of said outer pleat elements and means attaching said flanges to said lathing, whereby said inner and outer pleat elements are movable responsive to movement of said plaster sections in the direction of the plane of said plaster sections in response to expansion and contraction of said sections in said last mentioned direction.

4. A construction according to claim 3, in which said flanges comprise expanded metal portions.

5. A construction according to claim 3, in which said lathing comprises an expansible lathing.

6. A construction according to claim 3, in which said lathing comprises expanded metal and said flanges comprise expanded metal portions.

7. A construction according to claim 3, in which said first end portions of said outer pleat elements and said first end portions of the inner pleat elements are substantially coplanar.

8. A construction according to claim 3, in which said flanges are substantially coplanar.

9. A construction according to claim 8, in which said flanges and said first end portions of the inner pleat elements are substantially coplanan.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 156,789 Haley et a1 Nov. 10, 1874 678,146 Union July 9, 1901 1,030,044 Wittbecker June 18, 1912 1,661,253 Fritz Mar. 6, 1928 1,954,847 Scholer et al Apr. 17, 1934 2,082,805 Methven June 8, 1937 2,151,605 Lavering Mar. 21, 1939 2,267,002 Turner Dec. 23, 1941 2,298,251 Burson Oct. 6, 1942 

